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Tuesday, September 4, 2012

ALBUM REVIEW: Mariko Goto (後藤まりこ) - 299792458

By Steve Jones.

Mariko Goto was the lead singer of the hardcore jazz punk band Midori (ミドリ) before their disbanding in 2010. 299792458 marks Goto's first solo effort since then. Released on DefSTAR records, it contains 9 tracks and lasts about 32 minutes.

I liked Midori, and they're a band which definitely warrants further discussion (look for a future JAM Desho article). Their fusion of jazzy instrumentation and rhythms with hardcore vocals and energy made them a distinctive and exciting band to hear. I am pleased to say, however, that Mariko Goto's solo material does not fall into the pattern of being a pale extension of Midori's sound. Goto has a new agenda with 299792458, and the results, while not quite as far reaching as the speed of light, are boisterous, fascinating, and pretty fun.

Most listeners (especially Midori fans) will first notice how pop-oriented this album's sound is. While Goto has never completely shied away from pop-leaning sensibilities, 299792458's manner of hyper-cuteness--the kind that defines stereotypical visions of J-pop--is stronger on this album than on anything Goto has written before. But this is, let me stress, not your stereotypical J-pop album. Goto may restrain herself from the sort of passionate, primal outbursts many of us came to know and love her for, but she still indulges her voice with the occasional roar. Whereas Midori's music was like a sea urchin, her attitude here is akin to a prickly pear, with a sometimes harsh exterior adding a new dimension to, but not taking away from its inner sweetness.

Goto, surely aware of the expectations for her first solo outing, playfully subverts them on the first track. One would think a song called "Hardcore Life" would be abrasive and anthemic, but Goto instead sings a short playground song about being hardcore. While it takes up only 26 seconds of the album, the song is vital in setting the tone of cute, twisted pop. The first song proper, "ままく" ("Mamaku"), begins with saccharine vocals undercut by an up-tempo rock ensemble, but midway through the song it briefly collapses into Goto wincing as the instruments sting every beat. The intensity never reaches Midori levels, but it's still an unexpected change of pace for a song which would sound right at home in some new anime's opening sequence.

The album's dichotomous fun is perfected in my favorite track, "M@HφU☆少女。。." Immediately, the title, a wingdinged bastardization of "Mahou Shoujo" or "Magical Girl," begs the mind to draw more connections to images of cute girls doing cute things--and the song, to its credit, doesn't shy away from this style! Goto's delivery is sweet and a brass section enriches the arrangement in a pleasing fashion. But when the refrain arrives, Goto barks her words at the listener, and guitars and drums chug life into fat chords and bass hits. The raw emotional intensity of a hardcore song is not achieved by this song (or by any of the album), but such is not the track's nor album's purpose. Rather, the hardcore elements and moments of ugliness serve to breathe a unique vitality into what could have been milquetoast pop songs.

Another highlight is "うーちゃん," ("Uu-chan") a jazzy pop song reminiscent of the late Tokyo Jihen. The band sounds like they have a lot of fun, and, most importantly, they sound like an actual band playing together in the same room. It's another great aspect of 299792458, namely its eschewing of the electronic leaning of most modern pop in favor of the sound and atmosphere of a live performance. It allows for moments like the breakdown towards the end of "うーちゃん," the spacious and improvisational moments of "ドローン" ("Drone"), and one of the best moments of the album, which happens in the middle of "ユートピア" ("Utopia"). True to its title, this song has the most blissful melody on the record, which makes it even more shocking when Goto suddenly screams and the music coalesces into about half a minute of pure noise rock, after which everything returns to normal. It's just one of the many surprises 299792458 employs to keep the listener on edge and entertained.

It's unfortunate that the album finishes with some of its weakest moments. "あたしの衝動" ("My Urge") most closely resembles a typical pop rock song. While buoyed by Goto's impassioned delivery, the hooks and instrumentation don't rise far above being passable. Additionally, the final track, "299792458_Tokyo-U" layers Goto singing 3 or 4 different songs on top of each other. I'll grant that it's an interesting and strange way to conclude the album, but on an LP that is short enough, I'd rather have that space taken up by another song in the vein of the rest of the album's style.

I've read other people affectionately refer to 299792458 as "kawaiicore," and, honestly, I think it's a pretty good label. Kawaiicore implies a synthesis of the cute with the hardcore, and that is what this album accomplishes (with a bias towards cute side of spectrum). Of course, that means that fans of nice and inoffensive pop might be turned off by Goto's bursts of schizophrenia, and fans of Midori's harsh and noisy sound might be turned off by the pleasantness of the melodies and arrangements. To these parties, however, I say give the album a chance. 299792458 is greater than the sum of its parts, and within it Mariko Goto deftly stitches together adorable monsters of songs.

Score: Lite-to-decent 8

(Steve Jones is going to name his kawaiicore band "Indirect Kiss." If you would like to be a part of it, find him on his Twitter @vestenet.)